Automatic jump rope



Auga 2, 1966 D. K. MQRRQW 3,263,995

AUTOMATIC JUMP ROPE Filed Aug. 31, 1964 ,pa/v z Maeean/ INVENTOR.

United States Patent o Fice 3,263,995 AUTOMATIC JUMP ROPE Dean K. Morrow, 1050 W. Kensington Road, Los Angeles, Calif. Filed Aug. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 393,151 4 Claims. (Cl. 272-75) This invention relates to equipment for use on playgrounds and the like, and more particularly to a jump rope and apparatus for turning the same.

Although the device of the present invention may have applications other than those disclosed herein and should not be limited hereto for that reason, the invention has been found especially useful in the construction of a device for turning a jump rope with the use of an electric motor.

IIn the past it has been the practice to turn an elongated body made of a relatively hard, inflexible tube. This device is dangerous to use due to its hardness and infiexibility. That is, it can hit a child jumping it and hurt the child seriously. This prior art apparatus has also been unbalanced. It therefore turns the tube of a variable angular velocity and shakes its two tube holding poles out of the ground. This variable velocity also makes jumping the rope undesirably diflicult and adds to the above-described hazard.

In accordance with the device of the present invention, the above-described and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by providing an automatic jump rope including a Wheel mounted to rotate in a Vertical plane. A Vertical post is then fixed in a position spaced from the Wheel in a Vertical plane. Cord connecting means are provided including a swivel and jump rope. The cord connecting means is fixed between the Wheel and the post. The cord connecting means is connected to the Wheel at a position therearound spaced radially from the Wheel axis. The half of the Wheel opposite the position at which the cord connecting means is attached has a weight greater than the other half of the Wheel. This counterbalances the oentrifugal force on the Wheel by the turning of the cord connecting means. Power means are also provided to rotate the Wheel.

All the features of the present invention need not be practiced. For example, the counterbalance of the Wheel need not necessarily be practiced, whereas the rope of the present invention may be a conventional clothesline rope. Thus, the rope is soft and flexible and cannot seriously hurt a child if the child is hit by the rope.

Notwithstanding the utility of conventional clothesline rope, it is diflicult to swing an extended length of such rope. In accordance with an outstanding feature of the present invention, weight or stilfening means are attached to the rope at a position adjacent the Wheel.

According to another feature of the present invention, a gravity operated friction drive is provided as a safety measure. This means that if a child happens to become caught in the jump rope, the friction drive will slip and prevent a child from being injured.

The above-described and other advantages of the present invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings which are to illustrative:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the automatic jump rope of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a stand and the apparatus supported thereby shown iii FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of a portion of the apparatus taken on the line 3-3 shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the portion of the apparatus taken on the line 4-4 shown in FIG. 2; and

be regarded as merely 3,253,995 Patented August 2, 1966 FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of

a jump rope post connection shown in FIG. 1. c the drawing in FIG. 1, an automatic jump rope is nidicated generally at 10 including a stand 11 upon which an electric motor 12 is fixedly mounted. Motor 12 has a drive shaft 13. A driving cylinder 14 is fixed to drive shaft 13 as shown in FIG. 3. A friction drive to a Wheel 15 is provided through an adhesive tape 16 to a body 17 of Wheel 15 through a rubber ring 18 fixed in a recess 19 in Wheel body 17.

'Tape 16 may be conventional masking tape to provide a frictional engaging surface for rubber ring 18. The arnount of tape 16 placed upon cylinder 14 Will determine the rate at which the jump rope is operated. Wheel 15 rests, by gravity, upon cylinder 14. Wheel 15 is rotatable about a pin 20 fixed with a bar 21. Bar 21 is rotatable about a pin 22 that, in turn, is fixed to a bar 23. Bar 23 is fixed to a post 24 of stand 11.

As shown in FIG. 4, a jump rope 25 is provided that has a relatively stilf and heavier plastic cylinder molded around and bonded to rope 25 at one end. Cylinder 26 has a pin 27 therethrough that is fixed to a clevis 28. Clevis 28 is, in turn, fixed to Wheel body 17. Pin 27 has an axis which is perpendicular to a plane through the axis of pin 20.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, jump rope 25 is connected to post 29. Jump rope 25 has a plastic body 30 molded therearound. Body 30, in effect, creates a universal joint between jump rope 25 and post 29. Body 30 is rotatable about a stud 31 fixed to a ring 32, Ring 32 extends through a ring 33 that in turn is fixed to post 29.

Note will be taken that the device of FIG. 5 provides a swivel as indicated at 34. Swivel 34 may be fixed either to Wheel 15 or to post 29 or to both of them, or serially in rope 25 at any point along its length.

A counterbalance weight indicated at 17' is molded integrally with Wheel body 17'.

From the foregoing, it Will be appreciated that the flexibility of flexible rope 25 does not pose a hazard to the use of automatic jump rope 10. Rope 25 cannot hurt a child.

Post 29 may not be vibrated out of the ground in that Weight 17' is provided. For the same reason, rope 25 may be swung at a constant velocity.

In accordance with the foregoing the flexibility of rope 25 poses no turning problem because the additional weight and stiffness of tube 26 make it possible to swing rope 25 with considerable facility.

The gravity operated friction drive between motor 12 and Wheel 15 makes it possible for Wheel 15 to slip at the surface of ring 18 -and thereby to protect a child who is caught in rope 25.

Although only one specific embodiinent of the invention has been described and illustrated herein, many changes and modifications will of course Suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. This single embodiment has been selected for this disclosure for the purpose of illustration only. The present invention should therefore not 'be limited to the embodiment so selected, the true scope of the invention being defined only in the -appended claims:

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic jump r-ope comprising: a stand; an electric motor fixedly moun'ted on said stand, said motor having a horizontal output shaft rotatable about a horizontal axis, said shaft having :a roughened friction drive portion; a length of drafting tape Wrapped -around said drive portion of said shaft to provide an Iadjustable speed; an arm rotatable about a second axis on said base in a Vertical plane perpendicular to the said axis of -said motor output shaft; a Wheel rotatable on said arm about a third axis parallel to and spaced from said second axis, said Wheel having a rubber rim, said Wheel being positioned on said arm in a manner to have said rubber rim pulled by gravity against said tape; a rope; first means fixing one end of said rope to said Wheel at one point therearound; a counterbalance Weight fixed to said Wheel at a second point therearound opposite said one point; a Vertical post spaced from said stand; a tube surrounding and fixed to said rope adjacent said Wheel, said tube having a length Which is a relatively small fraction of the length of said rope, said tube 'also having a stiffness substantially greater than that of said rope; second means fixing the other end of said rope to said post; and a swivel connected to said rope to prevent tWisting thereof by rotation of said Wheel.

2. An automatic jump rope comprising: a Wheel mounted to rotate in an approximately Vertical plane; a fixed post spaced from said Wheel and extending approximately vertically; said Wheel having an axs of rotation; said axis being aligned With said post; cord connecting means including a sWivel and jump rope means, said cord connecting means being attachedV betWeen said Wheel and said post, said cord connecting means being connected to said Wheel at one position therearound spaced radially from the axis thereof; a stand; a motor fixedly mounted on said stand, said motor having a horizontal output shaft rot-atable about a horizontal axis; and an varm rotatable about a third axis on said stand in a Vertical plane perpendicular to the said laxis of said motor output shaft, said Wheel being rotatable on said arm about said first mentioned axis parallel to and spaced from said third axis, said Wheel having a rim, said Wheel being positioned on said arm in a manner to have said rim pulled by gravity against said motor output shaft, said shaft and said Wheel rim having surfaces adequate to permit a friction drive of said Wheel by said motor.

3. An automatic jump rope comprising: a Wheel mounted about an aXis of rotation, said Wheel being mounted to rotate in an approximately Vertical plane; a fixed post spaced from said Wheel in an approximately Vertical plane, said Vertical planes being mutually perpendicular; cord connecting means including a swivel and jump rope means, said cord connecting means being attached between said Wheel and said post, said cord connecting means being connected to said Wheel at a position spaced radially from the axis thereof, said jump rope means having a first portion adjacent said Wheel of a length substantially less than the length of the remaining portion thereof, said first portion of said jump rope means having a Weight per unit length substantially greater than that of said remaining portion thereof and being pivotally connected t-o said Wheel about an axis par-allel to said first mentioned plane, said pivotal connection rendering said first portion pivotable in a plane perpendicular to said first mentioned plane; and power means to rotate said Wheel.

4. An automatic jump rope comprising: a Wheel mounted about an raxis of rotation, said Wheel being mounted to rotate in an approximately vertical plane; a fixed post spaced from said Wheel in an -approximately Vertical plane, said Vertical planes vbeing mutually perpendicular; cord connecting means including a swivel and jump rope means, said cord connecting means being attached between said Wheel and said post, said cord connecting means being connected to said Wheel at a position spaced radially from the axis thereof, said jump rope means having a first portion adjacent said Wheel of a length substantially less than the length ofV the remaining portion thereof, said first portion of said jump rope means being less flexible than the said remaining portion thereof and being pivotally connected to said Wheel about an axis parallel to said first mentioned plane, said pivotal connection rendering said first portion pivotable in a plane perpendicular to said first mentioned plane; and power means to rotate said Wheel.

References Cited by the Examner UNITED STATES PATENTS 403,556 5/1889 Ritchie 272-75 1,893,l73 1/1933 Kreutzer 272-74 3,0l3,798 12/1961 Willoughby 272-74 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner. 

4. AN AUTOMATIC JUMP ROPE COMPRISING: A WHEEL MOUNTED ABOUT AN AXIS OF ROTATION, SAID WHEEL BEING MOUNTED TO ROTATION IN AN APPROXIMATELY VERTICAL PLANE; A FIXED POST SPACED FROM SAID WHEEL IN AN APPROXIMATELY VERTICAL PLANE, SAID VERTICAL PLANES BEING MUTUALLY PERPENDICULAR; CORD CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING A SWIVEL AND JUMP ROPE MEANS, SAID CORD CONNECTING MEANS BEING ATTACHED BETWEEN SAID WHEEL AND SAID POST, SAID CORD CONNECTING MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID WHEEL AT A POSITION SPACED RADIALLY FROM THE AXIS THEREOF, SAID JUMP ROPE MEANS HAVING A FIRST PORTION ADJACENT SAID WHEEL 